End-gate.



R. G. LIGHTWALD I END GATE. 'APPLIOA'iIQH FILED AUG. 28, 1909.

977,457. Patented Dec. 6, 1910 a sums-sum: 1.

R. c. LIGHTWALD. END GATE. APPLICATION FILED AUG..Z8, 1909.

977 A57. Patentd Dec. 6, 1910. a sums-sum a.

J1 V 6a a E iaflvmfltozy UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

ROBERT C. LICl-ITWALD, 0F DECATUR, NEBRASKA.

END-GATE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. LIOHTWALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Decatur, in the county of Burt and State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in End-Gates, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to improvements in end gates for application towagons in which grain is hauled.

The obj ects of my invention are to provide an improved construction ofend gate and means for fastening it, to provide an end gate having agrain door and to provide improved fastening devices for such door.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my improved endgate showing it applied to a wagon body, one of the fastening rods beingomitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation. Fig. 3 isa side elevation. Fig. et is a vertical section taken on the planeindicated by the line in Fig. 2. 5 and 6 are detail horizontal sectionstaken respectively on the planes indicated by the lines 5-5 and (i(3 inFig. 3. Fig. '7 is a detail perspective of one of the gate fasteningrods and the hook which it carries.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the bottom and 2the sides of a wagon body.

3 denotes a cross bar secured across the rear end of the bottom andhaving projecting ends.

5 denotes my improved end gate which consists of a solid upper portion,an open lower portion adapted to be closed by a grain door (3, and twoside bars 7 secured to the inner face of the solid upper portion of thegate and adapted to receive the walls 2 of the wagon body between them.The side bars 7 are preferably broad at their lower ends and the latterare notched as shown at 8 for the reception of the projecting ends ofthe bar 3. The engagement of the notched the bottom bar 3 retains thelower portion of the gate across the end of the wagon body, and I securethe upper portion of the gate by the use of two fastening rods 9 and at-Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1909.

Figs.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Serial No. 515,052.

tached hooks 10. The latter are pivoted in the bifurcated ends 11 of therods 9, as shown more clearly in Fig. 7, and they'are adapted to bepassed through openings in plates 12 and to engage openings in brackets13. The plates 12 are secured to the outer face of the closed upperportion of the end gate and have their apertured or opened endsprojecting beyond the side edges of the gate. The brackets 13 are in theform of metal straps secured to the outer faces of the side walls of thewagon and having angular portions 14 to receive the side bars 7, andalso angularly offset apertured ends 15, which latter are engaged by thebent ends of the hooks 10. The handle portions of the fastening rods 9are retained in parallel overlapping relation, when the end gate isfastened in position on the wagon, by engaging them with a keeper hook16 in the form of a leaf spring disposed vertically and having its lowerend secured to the center of the outer face of the upper portion of thegate.

17 denotes metal guide plates secured at one end to the outer side facesof the bars 7 and having rounded or beveled ends adapted to engage andslide under the offsetportions 14 of the bracket 13 when the end gate isplaced in position on the wagon body. The grain door 6 is hung from itsupper edge to swing outwardly and upwardly, such mounting being effectedby securing to the outer face of said door upright hinge straps 18having eyes at their upper ends to engage offset outwardly projectingpivots 19 on a transverse strap 20. The latter is secured t0 the bottomof a reinforcing bar 21 secured across the bottom edge of the solidupper portion of the end gate and having projecting ends so that it isof substantially the same width as the door. This bar 21 is securelyfastened to the gate at its ends by angular straps secured to the sidebars 7 and having threaded ends extending through the bar 21 to receivewashers and nuts .23. Angula braces 24: are arranged on the straps orbrackets 22 to support the ends of the bar 21, as will be understood onreference to Fig. 6. If desired the door 6 may have its outer facecovered by a reinforcing metal I wear plate 25, and secured to its innerface or shouldered ends 8 of said side bars with at its projecting endsare reinforcing angle metal strips 26 adapted to engage the outer facesof the side bars 7 of the gate, when the door is closed, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 5.

' ed to locking position.

The door is adapted to be securely fastened in its closed position by apair of sliding bolts 27 which are projected and retractedsimultaneously by a hand lever 28. The bolts 27 extend horizontallyacross the outer face of the door and are loosely slidable in guideloops 29 formed by bending the hinge straps 18 and also in bearings 30arranged upon guide plates 31 secured to the door adjacent its ends. Theplates 31 have outwardly curved apertured ends to receive the aperturedrear ends 32 of angular straps 33 secured to the outer faces of the sidebars 7 of the gate as shown in Fig. 5. The outer ends of the bolts 27when the latter are projected enter the apertured ends 32 of the strapsor brackets 33 for the purpose of locking the gate in closed position.The inner ends of the bolts 27 are offset and bent to provide pivots 3darranged in the lever 28 on opposite sides of its pivot or fulcrum 35.The upper end of the lever 28 is bent to provide a handle and it isadapted to be sprung under a keeper in the form of a leaf spring 36which retains it against casual movement when the bolts 27 are project-For the purpose of supporting the grain door in its upwardly tiltedposition which is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, I provide aholding brace rod 37 and pivot one end of it to one end of the door asshown at 38.

he other or free end of the brace 37 is provided with a notch 39 and itis adapted to slide through an opening in the projecting end of a plate40 secured to the bar 21. hen the door is swung upwardly the shoulderformed by the notch '39 will engage the plate 40 so as to support saiddoor in its dotted line position shown in Fig.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantagesof the lnvention will be readily understood Without a more extendedexplanation.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

1. A wagon end gate comprising a body portion, side bars secured theretoand havlng projecting lower ends, keepers upon the latter, a reinforcingbar arranged across the bottom of the body portion of the gate, a hingestrap having its central portion secured to the bottom edge of saidreinforcing bar and its ends downwardly offset and formed with pintles,a grain door, a pair of vertically disposed hinge straps secured on theouter face of the grain door and having their upper ends bent to formhinge eyes to engage said pintles, the lower portions of the lastmentioned hinge straps being bent to form guide loops, bolts slidablyarranged in aid guide loops and adapted to engage said keepers, andmeans for projecting and retracting said bolts.

2. A wagon end gate comprising a body portion, side bars secured theretoand hav ing projecting lower ends, a reinforcing bar arranged across thebottom of the body portion of the gate, a grain door hinged to saidreinforcing bar to swing upwardly and outwardly, plates secured to theend portions of said reinforcing bar and having projecting extremitiesformed with vertical openings and the holding brace rods 37 pivoted tothe ends of the grain door to extend upwardly through the openings insaid plates and formed with notches to engage said plates, whereby thegrain door will be retained in its elevated or open position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ROBERT C. LIGHTlVALD.

Vitnesses H. S. M. SPIELHAN, ETHEL BLACKSTONE.

